Forget Me Not
by MissMune
Summary: Oneshot. Phoenix encounters someone he thought he'd never see again. Dahlia/Phoenix... sort of.


A/N: Another one for the pile of 'stuff Mune never posted'.

This one's pretty old, and I remember not wanting to post it because I was worried that I got the characters wrong. Yet, I also remember wanting to write it because I had never seen a real Dahlia/Phoenix fic before. It was all Phoenix/Iris stuff.

So, yeah.

Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own Phoenix Wright. Yadda yadda.

By the time that Phoenix had walked Trucy to school (he wasn't too sure about her riding the bus; he wasn't being overprotective, was he?) it had begun to pour down rain. For a good moment, the former defense attorney stood, baffled. There had been nothing in the weather report about a rainstorm, today. "Nothing but sunny skies!" the weather girl had said.

But he had always heard that she was rather unreliable.

Not one to make a big stink about the weather, Phoenix merely sighed and pulled up the hood of his grey sweatshirt. He rarely bothered to get 'dressed up', anymore, even though it hadn't been more than a few months since he had been disbarred. He hadn't even shaved this morning; it wasn't as though he was expecting company.

The rain was falling down in sheets, now. The cotton of his hoodie wasn't enough to stop the water from soaking farther down into his clothing. Frowning slightly, he trudged on. Few people were walking the street in the pale light of the morning and all of them had an umbrella. If he had known it was going to rain…

At that moment, a white blur flashed in front of his face. It took him a moment to recognize that it was an umbrella (or perhaps that was a parasol?). Someone had placed it over his already soaked head. "Oh, thank-" he began turning dully towards whoever had been kind enough to lend him their umbrella. "….You…." His voice trailed off.

The person in question tipped her head to the side and gave Phoenix an angelic smile. "You're welcome," she said, sweetly. She paused briefly, looking to the side, as though frightened to proceed. "Feenie."

Phoenix was startled and reasonably so. This person… she was dead. She had died almost a year ago, just before the start of… _that_ case. And yet, here she was, looking exactly as she had all those years ago. Her face was still gentle and sweet, her bright red hair braided up into an innocuous fashion. She was all peace and innocence, Dahlia Hawthorne.

He couldn't find words. How could he? He wasn't even sure what to make of this situation. Too many questions were running through his head: What do you want? Why are you here? _How_ are you here?

The lack of response from 'Feenie' seemed to hurt Dahlia. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the rain; her parasol was completely covering Phoenix. Looking displeased with this fact, he pushed the parasol back over towards Dahlia, apparently unwilling to receive any service from her. "F-feenie," she said in her saccharine-sweet voice, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

'Feenie' certainly didn't seem pleased. His face was contorted into an irritation that he was plainly trying to hide. Moreover, he was frankly uninterested in why Dahlia had sought him out. He had no desire to see her again. He had left thoughts of her behind after he had discovered the truth; he had never really known her, anyway.

Shaking his head, Phoenix allowed himself to give Dahlia a single, bitter look before walking away. Dahlia had other ideas.

Swiftly, she reached out with the hand that she was carrying her parasol with, grabbing Phoenix's hand tightly, parasol held steadfastly between their two palms. Her fingernails dug into the side of Phoenix's hand and for a moment he was almost positive that she was poisonous, herself. That being in such close proximity to her would be the death of him.

It almost had, at one point, hadn't it?

"Feenie," Dahlia cooed, "Is that anyway to treat your old flame?" Her tone was still sugary, but something dangerous lurked below the surface.

Phoenix was unmoved. "I never knew you in the first place, Dahlia," he stated coldly.

Something dark flickered in the girl's expression. "F-feenie," she sobbed, suddenly, "Ho-how can you _hurt_ me like this?"

"W-what?" Phoenix asked, clearly confused by the statement.

Dahlia sniffled, "Y-you're _horrible_," she continued… _loudly_. Startled, 'Feenie' glanced around him. A few people were already looking on at the 'lover's quarrel'. Blinking again, he looked back at Dahlia. She gave him a coy smile before continuing her act.

"Excuse me, Miss," one of the onlookers had approached the two, glaring venomously at Phoenix. "Is this man bothering you?"

Wiping tears from her eyes and hiccupping as though she had been crying for quite a while, she shook her head. "N-no, of course not," she said, still weeping.

The other man looked doubtful, "Are you sure? You don't have to defend this creep." And then there was even more glaring in Phoenix's direction. What did he do to deserve this?

"N-no," Phoenix waved his hands back and forth, "It's not like that." He tried to explain, but doubtlessly his hoboesque appearance warded off anything that he could say to his defense.

"Um, sir," Dahlia piped up again, in her candied tone, "It's really alright." She gave him a divine smile before, "He's my boyfriend."

"W-" Phoenix began but was quickly silenced, as his utterly sincere-looking 'girlfriend' stood up on her tip-toes and delivered a delicate kiss directly onto his lips. She quickly pulled away, blushing fervently for show.

The red slowly spreading across Phoenix's cheeks was doubtlessly real, however, and for a moment, he almost felt as though he were twenty-one, again. This, by no means, meant that he would suddenly start calling Dahlia 'Dollie' or 'sweetheart'. Never again. Nonetheless, he felt the sudden embarrassment of public affection and, not quite sure what he was thinking, he muttered, "Let's go, Dahlia."

Pushing out of the crowd of people, Phoenix still held fast to Dahlia's hand… and parasol. It was still raining, after all. He had somehow forgotten during that little event that had just taken place. The weather was just like that day's; the day that this woman had killed a man and had almost killed _him_.

The two sloshed onward, through the still-forming puddles. If only Phoenix could get home, he could get rid of her. If he tried to leave her, right now, she would pull another stunt like she just had. "Why are you here?" one of the questions that had been nagging him since the moment he saw her slipped out.

Another sugary smile formed on her lips. "I just…" she started quietly, looking off to the side, "I just wanted to see you again, Feenie."

Phoenix paused, swallowing hard. She always sounded like she was being so truthful… but of course she was lying. She didn't expect him to believe that she had come back from the dead just to see him, did she? To poison him, perhaps, but just to _see_ him?

"…You don't believe me, do you, Feenie?" Dahlia said mournfully. She looked like she was going to start crying again. There were still people on the street and he didn't want a repeat of the previous incident.

"E-er," Phoenix stammered, "I really d-" She looked at him with wide, sorrowful eyes. Damn her, he wasn't going to buy this! "Don't believe you, Dollie."

Dahlia gave him a nasty smirk at 'Dollie.'

"-A," Phoenix finished, annoyed with himself for calling her 'Dollie'. This woman was probably going to _kill_ him and he was using pet names? Was he _insane_?

"You've changed so much, Feenie," Dahlia said, glancing at him, charmingly. She grinned horribly, "Perhaps you've actually grown a brain?"

"Erk," Phoenix made a sound as though he were choking. There was no way he could actually _defend_ his actions when he was young. He had eaten a necklace that had once contained poison. Not brilliant by any means.

"It was almost cute, Feenie," Dahlia said fiendishly, "The way you were so devoted to me." She let out a small giggle, "I'm really surprised you didn't die."

"Is that what you're here for?" Phoenix asked, dully, "To kill me?" It was odd, the two were walking along, holding hands as though they were… _sweethearts_ and yet it was quite likely that Dollie…a… was only here for one reason.

"Don't be silly, Feenie," Dahlia said cutely, "I'm not mad at you, anymore."

"Mad at _me_?!" Phoenix asked indignantly.

"You ruined my life, Feenie," Dahlia breathed poisonously and she dug her nails farther into his skin.

"No! That was Mia!" Phoenix immediately said, without thinking. Quickly, he tried to rectify his error. "Er, that is-"

Softly, Dahlia placed her finger over Phoenix's lips. "Is this where you live, Feenie?" she asked, smiling.

"Uh, yes, it is," Phoenix replied with a gulp; his face was flushed. He hated this woman, so why-?

"Would you care to show me in?" Dahlia asked.

"Al…right…" Phoenix agreed, opening the door to the apartment complex. He held the door open for her.

"Feenie," Dahlia said seriously, turning to the older man. "I'd really like to do something with you."

"Hu-uh?" Phoenix asked, heart beating heavily. He paused, "W-well… I do have some time before I have to pick up Trucy."

Dahlia gave him a wickedly enticing smile. "Wonderful."


End file.
